Harassment of Women in workplaces – many cases go unreported

With women entering job market, sexual abuse and harassment has increased. But, many women choose to keep ‘ silent ‘ on their exploitation by male higher authorities and management or superiors. This is mainly due to fear of job safety, undermined by their own colleagues and lack of support if they come out openly.

Punam Sehgal and Aastha Dang (2017) conducted research to understand the power dynamics and occurence of sexual harassment at workplaces ( outside paywall). While the number of sexual harassment is staggering, little is known about the horrible experience women go through when their personal space and dignity is violated. The research explores how women manage such behaviour meted out to them, the procedure adopted by companies to stop harassment and whether law is adequate ( Sexual Harassment at workplace, Vol.52, issue22, 3 June 2017, epw.in). In organizations where there was a system in place to report sexual harassment, the companies themselves diluted the system so that women could not report their experiences of abuse to higher legal authorities.

Alarming numbers

In a study,one in four women were found to face sexual harassment at workplace.( 23 statistics on sexual harassment in the work place, May 20, 2017, brandonguille.com ) .64% of American women see sexual harassment as a problem in the country.88% of women have been harassed. 79% of victims are women. 27% experience sexual harassment from colleagues. 66.6% are not aware of the workplace policies regarding sexual harassment. 81% of women experience harassment in verbal form. One in three women between ages 18 – 34 has been sexually harassed at work.

Position in companies

Among top companies in which women face harassment include Banks, trading and finance companies, sales, civil services and education. According to ‘ women in workplace 2016’ , a study conducted by LeanIn.org and McKinsey , women remain underrepresented in corporate pipeline and corporate America promotes 30% higher rate of men than women at early career stages. ( women in workplace, mckinsey.com). Also, while bargaining pay rise or access to feedbacks, women face many obstacles, specially colored people. The research of the company also finds that colored people get less opportunities for promotion.

Similar is the case with dalit women in India. They are rarely promoted to top levels of management. Even if some are promoted by filling reserved seats, they face severe insults and discrimination from their colleagues and even lower cadre upper caste employees as they feel more privileged than dalits.

Reasons

One of the reason for not reporting is that they ‘underplay’ their experience. Women feel that they might have over- reacted to the harassment situation. This is mainly due to the fear of insecurity and lack of support from outside. They deliberately dilute intensity of the situation to adjust and bear the abuse silently. The mindset is so tuned that even harassment and abuse of serious nature is taken as ‘ trivial’ or mild. This type of forced adjustment is due to sense of loss of security.

Assistance

Harassment and abuse of women at work place is a serious problem that must be addressed. It is almost similar in developed as well as underdeveloped countries. The plight of working women is deteriorating. Even if laws are made, there is little effect as most laws are not known to women and even the company management often do not care to implement laws. Human rights and feminist activists should conduct lessons and workshops on rights of working women to complain against harassment and sexual abuse at workplace and get their grievances heard by higher authorities and legal cells of companies. They should be made aware of legal recourse in the case of abuse by fellow colleagues or higher- ups and the type of punishment that can be awarded to the culprits involved in abuse.

The writer may be from anywhere or every where. The main aim is to point out present inequalities, specially gender and economic discrimination in society. He is a staunch supporter of Telugu revolutionary balladeer Gaddar who ( like Bob Dylan) says he is ‘ voice of the voiceless ‘ and strives for equality of human beings in the whole world